my dear friend sara is always looking out for me, sending me cute terrarium ideas and lovely arrangements with succulents. mostly i hoard the images for myself but this time i had to share this cute diy project she found on ruffled. the break down of the project is really nicely done, and made me think of other ways of pursuing this concept. i think i might have to come up with my own version at some point! in the meantime i hope all you diy-ing planty lovers enjoy!

we’re approaching the end of our DIY wedding favor series, but i guarantee you will love our last picks as much as the first ones. these vertical terrarium wedding favors make great gifts because they don’t take any room, and are extremely easy to maintain. who wouldn’t want to bring a little bit of the outdoors to their home or office?
- gravel (can be found at any pet store in the aquarium section)
- air plants, cactus or succulents (you will need a small amount of potting soil if not using air plants)
- moss
- spray paint
- magnetic metal tins (from here)
- dremel tool
- painter’s tape
- E6000 glue
cover your tins with painter’s tape before you begin spray painting the inside of them. spray tins with 3-4 light coats until they have are opaque in solid white. while your tins are drying, remove the acrylic top from all lids by putting a small amount of pressure with your hands to pop them off. measure the diameter and mark a line with a permanent marker. using the diamond cutter tip of your dremel tool, slice all acrylic lids in halves (you can also try different shapes or drill holes). lightly sand the edges using a sander tip of your dremel tool.
place acrylic tops back in the metal frame of the caps and glue both pieces. we also recommend dabbing the edges of the tins with a q-tip with glue to seal the lids to prevent the weight from the gravel popping out of the containers. it took one wall terrarium to splash gravel all over the floor for us to figure that out :)
once your tins are dry from spray paint, remove tape and wash tins with water and soap. close all tins, now with open front lids. add gravel, misty moss and air plants. if you prefer building a closed terrarium and skipping cutting the lids, you will need activated charcoal, which can be found in the aquarium section at any pet store. air plants won’t work as well in (tightly) closed containers, so you may want to switch to ferns and small leafy plants.